The Denver Broncos stunned the New York Jets last night on Thursday night football at Mile High Stadium. Tim Tebow completed 9 passes for 104yds , rushed for another 68yds and the game winning touchdown late in the 4th quarter to seal the victory. The win now improves Denver to 5-5 and a half game out of 1st place in the AFC West; 4-1 under Tebow. The Jets continue to struggle and drop their 2nd straight, and now fall to 3rd in the AFC East.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

1. 49ers win again ; Prove they can win through Smith.
- The 49ers did not only win the game with solid defense, but they won with the offense going through Alex Smith. Frank Gore struggled with 0 yards on 6 carries through the first half, with the running game not effective for most of the contest, the 49ers turned to Alex Smith who completed 19 of 30 passes for 242 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 int that bounced right off the hands of Ted Ginn. Coming off a big win @ New England, Eli Manning and the New York Giants were favored by most experts. Smith matched Manning pass for pass and the 49ers improve to 8-1 with their 7th straight win.

2. Patriots beat the Jets; own the AFC East.
- Although the Jets are only a game behind New England, it is clear that the Patriot are the best team in the division. Mark Sanchez continues to struggle and Rex Ryan continues to praise and back up his quarterback. Tom Brady and the Patriots offense played a near perfect game and will be a scary team going forward.

3. 2 completions enough for Tebow and the Broncos.
- Despite only 2 complete passes, the Broncos win another game with Tebow at the helms and improve to 4-5, 3-1 since Tebow has taken over. The Chiefs have dropped 2 straight and Matt Cassel's hand is not healthy. The Chiefs might have to turn to Tyler Palko this Sunday when they travel to New England. The Broncos are still in the division hunt trailing 1 game to the Raiders who came off a big win in San Diego Thursday night, with big performances by Carson Palmer, Michael Bush, and Denarius Moore.

4. Texans win again ; Matt Shaub out, Matt Leinart in.
- Matt Shaub is out indefinitely with a foot injury. That means it's Matt Leinart time in Houston. The Texans currently hold the number 1 seed in the AFC with a 7-3 record, it is now Matt Leinart's time to show he still has something and lead this Texans team to a division title. Leinart's last start was in 2009 with the Arizona Cardinals.

5. NFC West goes 4-0.
- The Arizona Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17 in Philly. John Skelton has done a great job after taking over for the injured Kevin Kolb. It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals do at quarterback when Kolb is healthy. Another upset was the Seattle Seahawks beating the Baltimore Ravens at Quest field. Baltimore, who was considered by many as the top AFC team was the heavy favorite going into the game. 2 of the 3 losses that the Ravens have suffered has been to the 3-6 Jacksonville Jaguars and 3-6 Seahawks. St. Louis won in Cleveland 13-12 , and the 49ers win at the stick 27-20 against the Giants.

1. Green Bay Packers 9-0 ; Who can stop Aaron Rodgers and the Pack?2. San Francisco 49ers 8-1 ; Another win against a top team. That win was all on Alex Smith's arm, and now people are starting to believe. 3. New Orleans Saints 7-3 ; Huge win against a division rival and a good team in the Falcons. Minus the forgettable loss to the Rams, the Saints have been playing well.4. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-3 ; Back and forth game in Cincinnati but Pittsburgh came out on top. 7-1 vs teams not named the Baltimore Ravens.5. New York Giants 6-3 ; Although they lost a tough game in the west coast against a strong 49er team, Eli and the Giants are playing good football going in to the later part of the season.6. New England Patriots 6-3 ; That was a statement game against the Jets. The Patriots showed who owns the AFC East, for now.7. Baltimore Ravens 6-3 ; Sweep the Steelers, and lose to Jacksonville and Seattle. Doesn't make much sense.8. Chicago Bears 6-3 ; Absolutely destroyed Detroit in all phases of the game. The Bears have now won 4 of their last 5. 9. Houston Texans 7-3 ; Losing Matt Shaub will be a big blow going forward. Let's see if Matt Leinart is ready for the keys to this muscle car.10. Dallas Cowboys 5-4 ; Tony Romo and this offense is starting to heat up. DeMarco Murray is a promising back for the boys. 11. Cincinnati Bengals 6-3 ; Even though they lost against the Steelers, that game showed that the Bengals are a contender.12. Atlanta Falcons 5-4 ; Tough loss to a very good Saints team. Promising signs Matt Ryan and the offense is starting to roll.13. New York Jets 5-4 ; Still in the hunt. Rex Ryan needs to stop with the predictions and worry about getting this team on track.14. Detroit Lions 6-3 ; After a 5-0 start, the Lions have lost 3 of their last 4 games. Have they been figured out?15. Buffalo Bills 5-4 ; Another team who had a hot start and have now fallen into the pack. The Bills have lost 4 of their last 6 games, and some of these games haven't been close.16. Oakland Raiders 5-4 ; Impressive win over the inconsistent Chargers. Every win is crucial in the mediocre AFC West. If Carson Palmer can air the ball out like he did Thursday, the Raiders will be fine.17. Tennessee Titans 5-4 ; I really thought the Titans would struggle playing in Carolina, they proved a lot of people wrong after destroying the Panthers.18. San Diego Chargers 4-5 ; What is going on in San Diego? Phillip Rivers and gang need to figure this out. Norv Turner has a lot of work to do. 19. Denver Broncos 4-5 ; Tim Tebow won the game with 2 completions. Yes, 2 completions. Tebow has the it factor and the Broncos are 3-1 with Tebow as the starter this year.20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-5 ; The bye week could not have came at a better time. Josh Freeman has to step up next week with a big test against the Packers.21. Philadelphia Eagles 3-6 ; The season is done for the dream team. No identity and no fire from the early season favorite.22. Kansas City Chiefs 4-5 ; Ugly effort from the Chiefs offense Sunday. They need to figure things out, fast, if they want to stay in the race in the AFC West.23. Arizona Cardinals 3-6 ; John Skelton played very well in Philadelphia. Will the Cardinals stay with Skelton even when Kolb is healthy?24. Seattle Seahawks 3-6 ; The Seahawks are always tough at home, and proved it with a big win at home vs Baltimore. Let's see if the Seahawks can build off this one.25. Miami Dolphins 2-7 ; The Dolphins have been playing good football. 2-0 for the phins the last 2 weeks.26. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-6 ; Maurice Jones-Drew is keeping this team in games. Jason Hill has become a favorite target to QB Blaine Gabbert.27. Carolina Panthers 2-7 ; Many people thought the Panthers would finish the season strong. Not a great start to the 2nd half of the season.28. St. Louis Rams 2-7 ; They will take any kind of win at this point. Steven Jackson deserves some recognition, he is still an elite back. 29. Cleveland Browns 3-6 ; The Browns need to figure something out on offense. The defense hasn't been the problem.30. Minnesota Vikings 2-7 ; Christian Ponder is a promising QB for the Vikings. The rest of the season will be to get Ponder and the offense familiar with one another.31. Washington Redskins 3-6 ; It's hard to believe this team started 3-1 and was in the top 10 in most rankings after the 1st quarter of the season.32. Indianapolis Colts 0-10 ; There has been winnable games for the Colts, and they aren't winning them. They are that bad.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Tonight will be the first Thursday night game on NFL Network when the Oakland Raiders travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers. Both teams have struggled recently and are both tied for the division lead at 4-4 with the Kansas City Chiefs. This is a huge divisional match up with the winner getting the 1 game lead to start the second half of the season. My Prediction: I was not a fan of the Carson Palmer pickup, I think Jason Campbell is the better long term QB option and Palmer has not been the same since the 2005 season. Although the Raiders have found their run game and are very aggressive on defense, San Diego has more weapons in the passing game and I look for Phillip Rivers and Vincent Jackson to have a big night. Chargers win this one 27-17.

One of yesterday's topics on "NFL Huddle" NFL Network, was about the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants match-up. I couldn't help but to respond on some of the points that were being made by the debate. From the beginning of the argument, it was all about Eli Manning being "Elite". I can't really disagree with that point, because I do think he is playing at a high level and is the main reason why New York is 6-2 and leading the NFC East. Jamie Dukes, Deion Sanders, and Willie McGinest do NOT believe in Alex Smith. McGinest said if the 49ers get down by 14 or 21pts that Alex Smith will not be able to match up in a shootout. Sapp argued and said something along the lines of, "When your playing that kind of defense and controlling the trenches with that run game, you won't be down by that many points." Sanders said he thinks the Giants are going to win the game and that San Francisco is due for that let down game that all teams have. For more on the topic, watch the video and subscribe to my YouTube channel, tristanf17, and TJ's Sports Take!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

1. Green Bay Packers 8-0 ; The Packers are playing the best football in the NFL, OFFENSIVELY. Can anyone stop Aaron Rodgers? 2. San Francisco 49ers 7-1 ; Alex Smith is NOT getting the credit he deserves. "Experts" are so caught up in the numbers at the quarterback position, but they are forgetting what its really about, Wins and taking care of the football. Smith is having a career year, big thanks to coach Harbaugh. 3. Baltimore Ravens6-2 ; Sweeping the Steelers was huge. Joe Flacco is stepping up when his number is called.4. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-3 ; 6-1 vs teams NOT named the Baltimore Ravens. Big division game @ Cincinnati. 5. New York Giants 6-2 ; Have won 3 straight including the big game vs the Patriots. It is true, you cant spell Elite without "Eli". The Giants play @ SF Sunday, should be a good one.6. Houston Texans 6-3 ; Andre Johnson has been out and Houston is still rolling. Owen Daniels and Matt Shaub are having a quiet productive season. 7. Detroit Lions 6-2 ; Coming off their bye week, Detroit has a huge divisional game vs THE Bears. 8. New Orleans Saints 6-3 ; I still cant get over the loss vs the Rams. New Orleans will have to play a lot better on the road if they want to keep the division lead. 9. New England Patriots 5-3 ; The Patriots had every opportunity to close that game out at home vs the Giants. The defense will have to play much better, but with Tom Brady, your always in contention.10. Cincinnati Bengals 6-2 ; No Palmer, NO T.O, NO Ocho-Cinco. So what. Andy Dalton and AJ Green are having great rookie success and Marvin Lewis deserves a lot of credit. The second half of the season is going to be the tough part.11. New York Jets 5-3 ; The Jets made Buffalo look like the Bills of old. The defense is starting to heat up and what a perfect time with New England's defense doing the opposite.12. Atlanta Falcons 5-3 ; Now that was what Atlanta's offense was suppose to look like from the start. Despite playing the lowly Colts, the Falcons offense needs to build off that performance going forward.13. Chicago Bears 5-3 ; Matt Forte is a legit candidate for Offensive Player of the Year, what a big win in Philly.14. Buffalo Bills 5-3 ; After a strong 3-0 start Buffalo has stumbled a bit. In a tough AFC East, each game should be considered a playoff game for Buffalo.15. Dallas Cowboys 4-4 ; Two games back behind the Giants, Dallas has a tough one coming up vs the Bills. Tony Romo has to play consistent.16. Tennessee Titans 4-4 ; Coach Mike Munchak has done a terrific job despite the up and down first half. Hasselbeck better start looking over his shoulder and get some W's or its Jake Locker time.17. Philadelphia Eagles 3-5 ; Its hard to believe that the Eagles have lost 5 of their first 8 games. Dream Team? This was suppose to be Super Bowl or bust for the Eagles, and its been a BUST.18. San Diego Chargers 4-4 ; Phillip Rivers has to take care of the ball in the 2nd half the season. The Chargers should win the west, but they have a lot to clean up.19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-4 ; Getting back LeGarrette Blount will definitely help the struggling Bucs. They need the physical running game back and QB Josh Freeman has to step up.20. Kansas City Chiefs 4-4 ; You win a big one in the division vs the Chargers, then you drop one at home vs a win less Dolphins. I don't get it. Let's not forget the Chiefs are 4-1 in their last 5 games.21. Oakland Raiders 4-4 ; I personally did not like the Carson Palmer pickup. Call me crazy, but Jason Campbell will be the best option when he is healthy.22. Carolina Panthers 2-6 ; Cam Newton is worth the ticket and Steve Smith is having one heck of a year. Don't be surprised if Carolina wins 4 or 5 of their remaining 8 games.23. Denver Broncos 3-5 ; Huge win against the Raiders, It quiets the Tebow haters for a week. Tim Tebow is now 2-1 as the starter this season, oh and they're only 1 game back in the division.24. Washington Redskins 3-5 ; Look for Shannahan to look to Rex Grossman, again.25. Cleveland Browns 3-5 ; With rumors that Colt McCoy is on a short leash, I think you have to stick to him. Open up the offense a little, Colt can handle it.26. Minnesota Vikings 2-6 ; It is now the Christian Ponder era in Minnesota. With Peterson at HB and Jared Allen rushing the passer, the Vikings will have a better 2nd half this season.27. Seattle Seahawks 2-6 ; At 2-6, the defense is quietly having a decent season. TJ or Whitehurst at QB? I bet they regret not drafting a QB.28. Arizona Cardinals 2-6 ; Kevin Kolb has been awful. Although I don't think Skelton is any better, Kevin Kolb needs to show he can be the guy in the desert. FAST.29. Jacksonville Jaguars 2-6 ; Thank god for Maurice Jones-Drew. The one of very few bright spots for the Jaguars.30. St. Louis Rams 1-7 ; Sam Bradford has to play better, It is safe to say he is having a sophmore slump. I had them winning the game in Arizona then they decided to kick to Patrick Peterson. wow.31. Miami Dolphins 1-7 ; Huge win vs the Chiefs, the Dolphins won't quit, and they will NOT suck for Luck!32. Indianapolis Colts 0-9 ; The Colts are struggling to say the least. Will Peyton Manning play this season?

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

After a full half of the NFL Season behind us, Here are my first half award winners and playoff prediction..

NFL MVP: QB Aaron Rodgers; Green Bay Packers - Rodgers has been lights out through the first half of the season, and the main reason why Green Bay is the early Super Bowl favorite. Despite the struggle in the run game and ranking towards the bottom of the NFL in defense, Rodgers has led the team to an 8-0 record. He is on pace to throw for over 5,000yds 48tds and only 6int, including a league leading 72.5 completion percentage.

Offensive POY: HB Fred Jackson; Buffalo Bills - I have Jackson edging out Matt Forte HB of the Chicago Bears. Both backs are having a great start and the main reason why both teams are enjoying early success with their 5-3 records. Jackson has been a huge part to Buffalo's turn around season and is on pace to rush for 1,600yds 12tds with a 5.4yds/carry and 60rec with nearly 800yds receiving.

Defensive POY: OLB DeMarcus Ware; Dallas Cowboys - Despite the early roller coaster the Cowboys have been on with their 4-4 record, DeMarcus Ware is still playing at a high level and will be key if Dallas can turn the second half around and make a push for the NFC East title. Ware has 34tk 12sk and 2FF.

Offensive ROY: QB Cam Newton; Carolina Panthers - Newton has been outstanding and looks nothing like a raw project that many considered Newton to be coming out of the draft. Cam is on his way to breaking many rookie records and is the #6 passer in yards with 2,393 11td 9int and a 87.1 QB rating, also rushing for another 319yds and 7tds. Honorable mention has to go to QB Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals, who has his team 6-2 1st place in the AFC North.

Defensive ROY: OLB Aldon Smith; San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers are ranked #1 vs the rush this season and #1 in points allowed giving up only 14.8 this season. Aldon Smith, like Newton, was considered to be a project and someone that probably wouldn't peak until year 3. Smith has 6.5 sacks and leads the 49ers in that category and is a big key to the success on defense. Honorable mention, Von Miller OLB Denver Broncos.

Comeback POY: QB Matthew Stafford; Detroit Lions - The Lions are off to a hot start and is one of the few season surprise teams this season after years of being in the cellar. Stafford has had his share of injuries but has been healthy through the first half of the season and has his Lions 6-2 2nd place in the NFC North.

Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh; San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers are off to a 7-1 record and is cruising in the NFC West. Despite a similar roster to last seasons 6-10 finish coached by Mike Singletary, Harbaugh has this team in the right direction and is off to its best start since 1997 when the team started 11-1. The 49ers are on its way to its first winning season since 2002 when it won the NFC West at 10-6 and that was the last time they made a playoff appearance.